


Still Here

by arborealstops



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 05:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20541191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arborealstops/pseuds/arborealstops
Summary: "you made it. you're still here.""yeah. i'm still here."





	Still Here

_"you made it. you're still here." _

his vision blinks out of focus as his mind travels to the past, racing backward through time. he sees leo, showing him a napkin with three words written on it. he sees him, younger now, with mallory, a toddler, bouncing her on his knee. and with ellie, reading her a book. he sees a much younger leo, and the look of surprise on his face when jed came to see him after his return from afghanistan, remembered the pang he'd felt because of course he was there, of course he was. he saw leo's smile the first time he met abbey, and how he had immediately pulled jed aside to tell him that abbey was the one for him and ask why he hadn't married her yet. he saw the tears in leo's eyes when he'd said he'd been waiting for his best man. he remembered leo, first to the hospital after elizabeth's birth, and the last to leave. he saw his friend tutoring josh and taking him under his wing, the same way he'd done with zoey anytime she needed help with her homework. he recalled the happy tears spilling down leo's face the first time ellie had called him 'uncle leo' and the pride in his voice as he'd told jed about mallory being top of her class. he remembered hearing leo humming as they danced together, seeing his rare grin as they snuggled on the couch with abbey. he remembered being so happy, so in love, so proud, and finally wondered 'why him?'

_"yeah. i'm still here."_


End file.
